Press Release :: Introducing X-Rite ColorChecker Passport

RAW Color Power From Capture to Edit – A Solution Made Even More Powerful When Combined With Adobe® Imaging Solutions

Based on the renowned ColorChecker product line, ColorChecker Passport allows those working in RAW to quickly and easily capture accurate color, instantly enhance portraits and landscapes and maintain color control from capture to edit – significantly reducing image processing time and improving quality control. In addition, ColorChecker Passport delivers valuable color control benefits to JPEG shooters.

The powerful color control and profiling capabilities of the all-new X-Rite ColorChecker Passport are designed to be adopted into any RAW workflow – a solution made even more powerful when combined with Adobe® Imaging Solutions for those who want to benefit from DNG profile creation.

A Contents Overview

ColorChecker Passport is an all-new hardware/software color solution that combines camera calibration software and three photographic targets in one durable, protective “passport-size” case for the ultimate in functionality and portability. It was developed by world technology leader X-Rite to reduce editing time, improve quality control and enhance creative capabilities. The all-new ColorChecker Passport key features include a creative enhancement target for one-click photo editing and extended functionality of its standards-setting 24 patch color reference target with all-new calibration software. The included camera calibration application and Lightroom® Plug-In ensures that you can quickly and easily build DNG profiles for Adobe® Imaging solutions.

A Creative Enhancement Target: Get The Look You Desire In A Few Clicks

Whether it’s a studio shot, a colorful nature layout or a multiple scene photo event, you can extend the power of your photo editing software with one-click enhancements that articulate your inspiration in a fraction of the time.

The Enhancement Target also provides a visual reference for judging, controlling and editing images for shadow details, highlight clipping or color shifts.

• Multiple levels of warming and of cooling patches for portraits and landscapes help create pleasing and repeatable edits with a single click• When it comes to clipping, the all-new Passport Creative Enhancement target highlights the power of working in RAW. With the gray ramp patches, you’ll be able to quickly verify any clipping and ensure that the image has optimal shadow and highlight detail.• The HSL (hue, saturation, lightness) row includes eight spectrum patches to ensure color fidelity across all hues.

The customary functionality of the Passport Classic Target is now extended with the included camera calibration software that produces DNG profiles of your camera’s response to the individual scene’s lighting. As a result, you get consistent, predictable and repeatable results from image to image and camera to camera. You can quickly establish an accurate color foundation, minimize color differences between cameras and lenses, and easily adapt for mixed lighting.

The Passport Classic Target also provides a built-in point of visual color reference. Photograph the Classic target in the same lighting as your images; then open it in your photo processing software as a reference to help with color correction.

The Classic Target includes the industry standard 24 Patch Classic color reference target, with each patch representing the colors of natural objects, such as sky blue, skin tones and leaf green; and each patch reflecting light just like its real world counterpart. Each square is individually colored using a solid tone to produce pure, flat, rich color withoutdots or mixed tints.

The Classic can help you make global corrections based on accurate information. If you shoot a large number of images that all require the same color correction, you know that editing a few key photos and applying your changes can sometimes change colors you didn’t intend to be changed. A shot of the ColorChecker Classic captured under the same lighting as your images will provide a point of reference, so you can see exactly how changes will affect the rest of your colors before you apply them.A White Balance Target: Capture True Colors From The Start

White balancing on a piece of paper or other gray element in the scene may seem like a simple workaround, but most objects are not actually neutral under all lighting conditions; and they’re certainly not consistent. An inaccurate white balance will result in color casts and a lack of consistency between lighting conditions. The ColorChecker Passport White Balance Target is used to create an in-camera custom white balance that can properly compensate for these differences. It is a spectrally flat target that provides a neutral reference point across different lighting conditions. With the Passport White Target, you’ll be able to eliminate color casts, improve the preview on your camera display for more reliable histograms and speed up post-production editing by eliminating the need to neutralize each image individually.

The ColorChecker White Balance target can be used for in-camera white balancing for both RAW and JPEG photography.

With the included ColorChecker Passport Camera Calibration Application and Lightroom® Plug-In, you can quickly and easily build DNG profiles for Adobe® Imaging solutions including Lightroom®, Photoshop®, Photoshop® Elements, Camera Raw (ACR) and Bridge.

This new advanced profiling technology provides excellent results with just the small 24-patch ColorChecker Classic target, producing DNG profiles that work exceptionally well, even in unusual artificial light sources. Plus, software auto-detection will locate the target automatically*. Whether you are shooting with just one camera, or multiple cameras, you’ll easily establish an accurate color foundation and maintain control of your colors.

A very powerful feature of the software is the ability to create dual-illuminant DNG profiles. This type of profile takes into account two different light sources to create a single profile, which can be applied to an even wider variety of lighting conditions. Dual-Illuminant profiles can be made with any two of twenty-one supported illuminants, allowing you to create a profile for just about any kind of lighting condition you may encounter. Dualilluminant profiles allow you the freedom to move between the represented lightingconditions without switching profiles.

*Cropping may be required in images that don’t meet the specified criteria

Great for JPEG Shooters, Too

From the start, ColorChecker Passport has great benefits for those who shoot in a JPEG workflow. You can ensure your JPEG files are captured correctly from the onset, giving you greater freedom to evaluate and optimize shadow details or highlight clippings as well as an excellent visual reference for color spectrum
and color adjustments.

A Portable Protective Case: A Passport For Any Shoot

Rugged enough to take anywhere, small enough to fit into a camera bag or pocket, the protective casing also self-stands so you can adjust the targets to any scene and includes a lanyard for additional convenience for scene placement.

About X-Rite

(NASDAQ: XRIT) X-Rite is the global leader in color science and technology. The company, which now includes color industry leader PANTONE Inc., develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services. X-Rite’s expertise in inspiring, selecting, measuring, formulating, communicating and matching color helps users get color right the first time and every time, which translates to better quality and reduced costs. X-Rite serves a range of industries, including printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles, dental and medical. For further information, please visit www.Xrite.com